Applications of monolithic columns in liquid chromatography-based clinical chemistry assays

Monolithic columns have slowly been applied to HPLC methods for clinical chemistry testing in the last 10 years. The application areas include therapeutic drug monitoring, drugs of abuse, vitamins, porphyrins, and steroids. In comparison with conventional particulate columns, the monolithic columns may offer shorter chromatography time, more robustness, and better resolution for certain analytes. The potential drawback of large mobile phase consumption may be improved with smaller id columns, which are currently on the market. Methods covered in this review are those searchable in PubMed up to December 2010. This review highlights the emergence of monolithic column technology in HPLC methods used for clinical chemistry testing. The goals of this review are threefold: (i) To identify the areas of clinical chemistry that analytical monolithic columns have been used in HPLC methods. (ii) To demonstrate the application of analytical monolithic columns in HPLC methods using different detection systems. (iii) To discuss the advantages and limitations of the monolithic columns compared with particulate columns in the clinical chemistry applications.